Have You seen these Nintendo Easter Eggs?

Easter eggs are secrets hidden from video gamers with the intent of being found, pretty self explanatory to why we call them Easter eggs. They could be a secret playable characters, an message from developers, or even an complete change in the stories plot. There is one thing that is consistent with all Easter eggs they are hard to come across. No longer thanks to the internet!

Play as Master Hand – Super Smash Bros. Melee

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Master Hand is one of the non-playable characters serving as the final boss in single player mode. plugging in a controller in the third port and pressing A+B at the right time get Master Hand at your fingertips…. Took 7 years after the initial release to figure this out and its enough to dust off the old Gamecube.

Play As The Duck – Duck Hunt

in the 1984 classic who knew that you could actually play as the duck in Duck Hunt? Some will say, “that’s no Easter egg its in the menu!” or you are someone like me who doesn’t read menus and has played the game for years and never knew.

In “Single Duck” mode simply plug a controller into port 2 & Wala! You are now the one being hunted

Duck Hunt

Throwback To Comfy Shorts – Pokémon – Nintendo Easter Eggs

Who hasn’t played the first generation of Pokemon? On route 3, connecting pewter city to route 4 & Mt. Moon, there was Youngster Ben who exclaims, “Hi! I like shorts! They’re comfy and easy to wear!” Further along in the route, another Youngster exclaims “Hey! You’re not wearing shorts!”

Youngster Ben

in Pokémon X and Y, a trainer named Youngster Keita can be encountered on Route 5 who will ask the player if she/he wants to know why he likes wearing shorts in the tall grass. After the battle, he’ll tell you its because they’re comfy and easy to wear! Direct ode to youngster ben.

Chris Houlihan Room (A Link to the Past, Super Nintendo)

During September and October of 1990, Nintendo Power held a contest in which a randomly selected winner would get their name programmed in a future NES game. The requirements were to take a photo encountering Warmech in Final Fantasy and then send it to Nintendo Power by October 15, 1990. The winner of the contest was Chris Houlihan, whose name appears in his own secret room in A Link to the Past.

Chris Houlihan’s Secret Room

Super Mario 64 – Meeting Yoshi

By far the most commonly known Easter Egg. After you have obtained all 120 stars & beaten the third Bowser. A cannon becomes available, blast to the roof and there Yoshi is in all his glory. You’ll also get a 100 lives.

Welcome back to the 4th and final installment in our series helping you find the perfect games for yourself or loved ones this holiday season. This last post will focus on multiplayer aspects within games. Before you read on, however, click here to read part 1, click here to read part 2, and click here to read part 3.

The limitations aren’t severe; however, several games have strict multiplayer rules. For instance, games such as Destiny or Titanfall will REQUIRE online services. This means that if you aren’t paying for Xbox Live or Playstation Plus subscriptions, these games are glorified drink coasters to you. There are several ways to figure out the limitations before you buy, however.

Video game developers don’t want you to buy their game and not be able to play it just as much as you don’t want to buy something you won’t be able to play. To get around this, most games guilty of this will print in text at the bottom of the case something to the effect of “This games requires an internet connection to play.” Note that this is code for “Buy an Xbox Live or Playstation Plus subscription to play,” as simply having an internet connection will not be enough. Here is a picture of that signifier on a couple of Xbox One games and a PS4 game.

Games depicted are The Division on PS4, and Titanfall and Destiny on the Xbox One.

The biggest problem is this is often difficult to see, sometimes even if you’re looking for it. Perhaps the most reliable place to look will be the back of the game case.

Games depicted are Alien Isolation on the Xbox One and Alekhine’s Gun on the PS4

This is a single player only game. Xbox One puts their information in a chart on the back, however Playstation 4 favors large icons. The “1” next to Players underneath “Xbox One” in the top half indicates that there is only one player mode locally – meaning on the same console. In the bottom half, the “1 Player” icon means there is also only one player local play.

Games depicted are Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Xbox One and Call of Duty: Black Ops III on the PS4

Here are examples of games with multiplayer options. On the top half, the “1-2” players refers to the amount of player that can play locally. 2 players local multiplayer means that one Xbox One can play two players on the same console, but not online. In the bottom half, “1-2” players indicates the same thing.

Additionally, you can see a lot of other information on the back of the case that doesn’t pertain to multiplayer aspects, such as Kinect capabilities, microphone options, and remote play.

Look for these things, you don’t want to be stuck disappointed and in the return line because you didn’t notice a few words or symbols. They are easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention, but if you know what you’re looking for, you will never make the mistake again.

Closing thoughts:

As I close this 4-part blog series, I ask you to keep something in mind: associates at Matt’s Game Exchange are trained to help you. If you have any doubts on ANYTHING listed here, do not be afraid to ask. We are here to help you, and even in the hectic holiday season we will be here for you. The loyal customers of Matt’s Game Exchange are why we prepare for hours, and why I sat here writing these posts. We want you to be informed so you can make the best decision wherever you shop, but if you run into a jam know that we here at Matt’s Game Exchange will help you out. This was a joy to write, and I can only hope it helps someone make a good choice for the holiday season.

Hey there readers! Justin here, back again with another TurboGrafx Tuesday review! If there are any games in particular you would like to see us review please drop a suggestion in the comments! This week we will be looking at one of the first releases for this powerhouse of a machine, Blazing Lazers. Developed by the same team responsible for the Puyo Puyo and Super Bomberman series, this early release was critically acclaimed both during its release and to this day. Hailed for its fast paced gameplay with virtually no slowdown, vibrant pixel perfect sprites and effects, as well as an out of this world soundtrack, this game brings a lot to the table for any gamer.

Blazing Lazers was initially released for the PC-Engine in July of 1989 under the name “Gunhed”, and translated as “Blazing Lazers” in November of the same year, only months after the launch of the TurboGrafx-16. Blazing Lazers features nine levels for you to blast your way through as a lone pilot, flying a ship known as the “Gunhed Star Fighter.” Throughout the levels you are met with varying enemies, multiple upgrades, and 8 enemy super weapons to take down. Much like other shooter games for the system, the player controls a smaller ship with a rapid fire cannon and a limited supply of cluster bombs. Both power upgrades, and cluster bombs are obtainable throughout each level and reset upon losing a life. When released, Blazing Lazers was said to be the best shooter game next to the highly anticipated port of R-Type on the TurboGrafx, and is still held in similar regard.

The detailed graphics, paired with the challenging stages, set to an unforgettable soundtrack makes for one power house of a game.Critics praised Blazing Lazers on its detail, with some reviews even going as far as to say that the detailed boss fights were enough to make long time gamers cringe in terror. The soundtrack is also one of the defining features of this TurboGrafx-16; as opposed to the stereotypical fast paced guitar rock, Blazing Lazers features a soundtrack that is unique in its own right. Sounding like a fusion between a classic Mega Man soundtrack, and the score for a long lost Final Fantasy title, the audio setting for this game will be stuck in your head for days to come. With the quality of these songs, that is a good thing, I assure you.

From start to finish Blazing Lazers serves as a testament to the majesty of the TurboGrafx-16. The levels are all challenging, without becoming frustrating, which is a feat in itself. The detailed enemies make for one of the most visually stunning games on the system, as well as collection of some of the TurboGrafx-16’s best music. While the difficulty seems overbearing at parts, I would say that Blazing Lazers is one of the more approachable titles for not only shooter fans, but TurboGrafx fans alike. Whether you are new to the genre or a long time fan, this game is a must have in anyone’s collection!

We just got a new card game in called BRKTS (pronounced Brackets). The game was made by a small business here in Florence, SC.

The purpose of the game is imagination and debate. There are two types of cards – a category and a scenario. You start by choosing a category (video game characters) and each person involved will choose a video game character. Then you choose a scenario (broken bottle fight) and the purpose is to debate with the other players why your character should win. The winner advances on in the brackets.

Below you can see the progression of an in-store match we had between employees. This was a lot of fun and the possibilities and outcomes are absolutely endless because you get to choose your own characters.

This “Game of Debate” is currently being sold in both of our locations for $20. This will be a great addition to your board/card game collection! Be sure to check them out on Facebook!